The Geas
by cruel comedy
Summary: Pt. 1 of "Immortal Bonds" Chihiro returns to the spirit world and once more looses her memory. She is destined to someday end the war between dragon kind, but which side will she take, Hakus or that of a mysterious stranger? Haku Vs OC
1. Memories

Chihiro stared at the textbook in front of her, a bitter smile pasted over her lips. "Langueothe", defined as the longing of a human to return to the world of the Faeran, supposedly eating at their soul until it caused their death. Apparently the spirit world when and where the Celts were around was a more wondrous place than it was in Japan. Chihiro realised she was slipping again and tried to reign in her thoughts before they got the best of her. She continued scribbling notes down on her page about the similarities and differences of the "other world" in different religions, quickly finding it would be easy to complete her essay over the holidays. Despite appearances however, the history of religion course was not the easy way around getting a combined arts diploma at university. Since her return from the spirit world Chihiro had needed a distraction and school had provided it. At first her parents had wondered at her increasing diligence toward her work and her minimal effort toward making friends, but The quickly put it down to the move and thought no more of it. Chihiro's father had been especially pleased to note that the few boys that came to his door asking about Chihiro were received without much interest on her part, he didn't want to loose his little girl. Chihiro's mother had been more active about normalising Chihiro now that she was approaching twenty, hoping new haircuts and fashionable clothes would help her daughter to fit in. Chihiro thought it was a bit too late now for her to worry. Secretly she felt that she would give anything to return to the spirit world.

...

Chihiro happily threw her luggage onto her old bed, comforted by it's familiarity. The room still smelt of mandarins, her favourite fruit. Her mother had placed a bowl of them beside her table. As memories from her childhood came rushing back Chihiro decided to take the old trail through the woods which as a child she had regularly searched, trying to find the entrance to the spirit world.

...

Chihiro looked at the tree. The gap between it's roots was slightly smaller than her and she'd have to squeeze to get through. She could feel the fresh breeze blowing her forward once again and she smiled, recognising the sensation. The air from the human world was just as eager to enter as she was. It took Chihiro a moment to decide, remembering her parents, but she picked up the scent of a lake before her and couldn't help but place one foot in front of the other toward the gap. Even the scent of the spirit world was a thousand times more vivid and brilliant than the mortal world, which was no more than a shadow by comparison. She pressed through the tree roots, compressing her body uncomfortably to fit through the gap. Moments later she hit the ground, unconscious.

...

The woman woke slowly, blinking her eyes in the bright afternoon sunlight. Her hands bunched in the bright green grass as she weakly levered herself up. She felt hollow, like something had been ripped from her, although for the life of her she could not place her finger on what it was. She looked at her hands, uncurling them from the grass they had been entwined in. They were smooth and unscarred, they also seemed delicate and the nails were well trimmed. She ran her hand over her face. The skin there was equally smooth, but it felt unfamiliar. Her hand dropped and she gaped as she looked around her, noting that she was on a grassed island in the centre of a vast, glassy lake, which reflected a brilliantly blue sky and soft white clouds. A small wind circled locally around the island, the balmy breeze stroking her skin and blowing leaves from unseen trees, although it did not disturb the surface of the water. The woman's white knee length cotton dress flapped gently around her knees and the small black cardigan she wore absorbed warmth from the late afternoon sun.

The woman slipped out of her flat black sandals and placed them on the grass before standing and wandering shakily to the water's edge. She bent to take a sip of water and stopped, staring wonderingly at her reflection. She was not beautiful by any means, but her almond shaped chocolate eyes were warm and fringed thickly by her long eyelashes. A few freckles, inherited from her mother's distant European ancestor dotted her nose, not quite made invisible by her tanned skin. Her lips, as she traced them, seemed well shaped and her nose was delicate and small, the way it turned up at the end gave it a cheeky character of it's own. Her face altogether was pleasing, the spirit behind the face seemed delicate, sweet and slightly cheeky, as well as inquisitive. Her hair framed it beautifully, it's slight wave made it seem to flow over her shoulder to almost touch the water, her dark brown fringe was cut straight, but was long enough now to reach her cheekbones, and she had the urge to brush it to one side. She completed the gesture, noting it's familiarity. She did not know her age, but if she had to guess from her appearance she would say late teens to early twenties. She took a sip of water, hoping to ease the stomach cramps that had been sneaking up on her since she awoke.

The woman noticed that a shadow had fallen over her crouched form, and looked to her side in the reflection. Behind her stood a shadowed figure in a mask that was turned up into a happy smile. Recognition tingled, as well as the overwhelming apprehension motivated by her base instincts. She stood and rapidly stepped backward into the water as the figure moved forward, echoing her step. She turned and ran, noting that the water was getting slowly deeper the firther away from the island she ran, however there still seemed to be soft grass between her now bare feet. Suddenly she stopped, feeling the slope beneath her rapidly steepen she backed up slightly, back to a more even surface, figuring she had a better chance of pushing off faster when she had better foot hold. Although the mysterious and unknown depths of the water seemed dangerous, it was the current threat that overwhelmed her.

Suddenly, an earthshaking roar split the sky .The woman turned rapidly, hoping it was not the masked shadow so close behind her. She turned to find something much, much worse. Staring at her over it's shoulder was a dragon. Again, something tingled at the base of her brain but the dragon interrupted her musings with another roar, directed toward the shadow before it. The dragon was a shining black, covered in sleek fur along it's spine a red stripe, slightly longer than the rest of it's hair stood out, at the end of the dragon's body it became a feather shaped red tuft. The dragons face was elongated and doglike and thick black horns sprouted from behind it's skull. The horns curved upward slightly at the end into wicked points. The horns the woman felt for some reason, should have been thinner and rounder than they were, and lighter in colour, although never having seen a dragon before that she could recall, she did not know where this notion came from.

The dragon hissed one last time at the shadow spirit before disappearing entirely, and leaving in it's place a relatively human man. Chihiro stared in awe as the man gestured at the masked spirit and it stood completely still. The woman immediately realised he was using magic. She took a step backward at the realisation, but her eyes were engaged with his form as she examined the toned legs encased in tight black pants, and the firm backside the legs led up to, as well as a set of broad shoulders enshrouded in a black silk shirt that reflected hints of red. His hair, at it's longest was shoulder length, although it was layered in featherlike sections. The lower half of his hair was a deep red and the top was midnight black. The man turned to reveal that the shirt was open and that a few stray pieces of hair hung over his face. Althogh hung was perhaps not the right word. Floated might be more correct the woman mused, also noting his noble, strongly chiselled features and ember bright orange eyes which were, at this moment, lit with fey amusement. His smooth voice interrupted her musings.

"After standing still for so long, I am quite curious about the results of your examination." The woman blushed, moistening her lips slightly.

"I…" she paused to gain control of her voice "I cannot remember ever having seen your like" He laughed lightly, knowing that like every other human that wandered into the spirit realm not during the equinox the gate she had used would have stolen her memory. Her scent told him indubitably that she was human, although the stench of the human world had her own sweet undertone of mandarin. The woman took a step forward, feeling awkward speaking to someone at such a distance. The stranger raised an eyebrow at the action. Most humans were awed by his very presence or believed they were delusional, and either ran or pleaded with him pathetically. Instead the human offered him her hand quite happily

"I do not know my name, but it is nice to meet you sir. Do you have a name?" Here the shadow spirit excitedly spoke up before the stranger tightened his spell on it.

"Uh uh uh!" The masked spirit seemed desperate to talk, the woman almost felt sorry for it however the stranger seemed unconcerned.

"You are a bold little bird for sure. I am Ban Asahi, dragon spirit of the Asahi volcano."


	2. Memories 2

The woman sat back on the grass, noting that Ban was completely dry although moments ago he had been standing knee deep in water. The white dress she wore was wet up to halfway up her thighs and she was glad the water had gone no further, as the cotton became translucent when wet. Ban obviously noted her discomfort and held his hand a few inches above her dress. Moments later the water heated and evaporated into a cloud of steam. She nodded in thanks.

"So what brought you here? Even in the spirit world it must be a fair distance to your home."

"It is. I am on my way to a bathhouse, the resting place of spirits. I need time to relax and recover from a battle myself and my kind recently underwent. I need to return to full strength in my physical body in order to tend properly to my volcano, as well as fend off further attacks from my enemies" The woman's brows drew together in a perplexed frown.

"How does a bath house help that?"

"Spirits regain energy faster when in a relaxed or meditative state. They cannot do that when in close proximity to feature they embody, as they demand constant attention, they are a part of us. Our features are like our children, although they are part of our soul. Spirits who focus their magical energy entirely on the feature they embody rarely need to replenish their powers as there is no other demand on them and they are generally in a state of submerged consciousness. However spirits who are magically active outside their feature require more periods of rest to replenish their inner wellspring of magic. The larger capacity a spirit has, the faster they can replenish their magic. The magic is produced by their life force. The life force is both positive and negative. If it is drained through excessive use of magic beyond the capacity of the individual, it kills off the feature they are connected to. It is a complex relationship and takes years to understand for those not involved."

The woman remained silent and swept a patch of grass aside to reveal dirt. She drew a diagram in the dirt she had revealed, her bottom lip between her teeth. A short while later, when Ban had almost fallen asleep lying on the grass on the other side of the patch the woman vocalised her thoughts. She swept the grass back into place as she did so.

"No, I think I do. The life force of a magical creature forms the base of the creature itself, as well as the magic it can create. The life force is similar to the base of a well, only the magic, unlike water is formed from it. The life force is directly connected to the location the individual is linked to in the human world, as well as being a part of the individual. That explains why a spirit is weakened magically if it's place in the human world is harmed. The magic forms above the life source, as water above the base of a well. However if the magic is emptied when the individual may draw on their life force, and thus deplete a part of themselves and their geographical feature on the human world. Weakness in the physical world needs attention. If the individual is too weak to fix the issue they created then they loose the connection, thus loosing a part of themselves and weakening them infinitely." As she explained, the woman felt the shape of the idea cement into understanding, and also revelled in the shock painted over Ban's face.

"That is exactly right. There are more complex elements in how the spirit world feeds the magic of the earth world itself, but needs spirits to channel it effectively to certain purpose, but I myself do not understand the relationship between that and the life force completely. We also use the bathhouses for cleansing, as we are affected physically if our feature suffers." The woman nodded as Ban relaxed on the grass.

He glanced over, intrigued by the woman beside him, who still appeared to be thinking as she twisted grass stalks between her fingers. He felt the sudden urge to find out more about her, and he could not do that until her memory returned. Ban resolved to take her to the bathhouse with him, at least until he figured out what else he could do to help her.

...

Haku lay belly up in an underground cavern, not needing to move to keep himself afloat but supported comfortingly by his river. Light pierced the darkness every few feet from holes in the surface, and shone down onto to the shallow bottom of the lake, reflecting wave patterns on the smooth domed ceiling of the cavern. His home was carved into the smooth black walls of the cavern, ferns grew around the door to his home, as well as dripping down through the holes in the cavern ceiling. His long hair flowed around him sinuously, moving as one with the soft currents through the cavern. Upstream, the spring where his river was born flowed in open air, but a short way downstream from there the humans had redirected it through a series of pipes and caverns, sinking it deep below the earth in some places. On reacquainting himself with his river after Chihiro had left he had discovered it in a state of disrepair, collapsed earth from the tunnels almost blocking it in places and the roots of trees permeating some of the pipes. Thankfully the spring was too far away from civilisation for it to be heavily contaminated by human waste, but runoff from the town above had permeated the soil. His first order of affairs was to condense the earth above his river into rock, stopping dirt from falling into it as well as removing the hazard of human wastes like dishwashing detergents or fertilisers. After that it had been a relatively simple matter to flush the built up dirt and grime from the river system, spreading it over the floodplain below. The rice farmers there had had a particularly good harvest that season. Haku had soon rediscovered the ebb and flow of his river, and found that his most important and ongoing project was to prevent it from blocking in the some times narrow paths it had found. Haku drifted to sleep, and found himself dreaming.

_He sat on a rock at the top of a small waterfall, he immediately recognised the spot to be in the forest just below the spring of his river. It took him a moment before he noticed that there was a woman standing nervously at the water's edge below, her toes curled into the sand. Haku openly gaped at her beauty, noting the sensuous curves of her body beneath the soft green summery dress she wore. _

_Her hair cascaded over one shoulder and her delicate hand moved upwards, flicking her fringe to the side. She knelt down smoothly to examine the small silver fish swimming in the shallows, her eyes shifting between a warm chocolate brown and a light velvety blue with the reflection of the water in their depths. It was only when she stood again that he finally recognised her face. It was Chihiro. _

_Heedless of his presence she stood and stepped deeper into the water, the blissful expression on her face telling him she enjoyed the coolness of the small waves lapping against her thighs. It was a hot day after all, and small beads of sweat trickled over her golden body. _

_Without further ado she dove into the crystalline depths of the water and Haku could see her toned form gliding beneath the surface, shrouded only slightly by the shimmering reflection of the sun on the pool. When she emerged she was close to the waterfall. She looked up at it thoughtfully and Haku saw the sunlight glisten off the shining droplets running over her face and what the dress revealed of her chest. Chihiro clambered up onto the rock, her lithe body twisting to reach the foot and hand holds she wanted. The green dress clung to her form like a second skin, even revealing a small dimple created by her bellybutton. _

_Haku bit his lip, insanely tempted to be the first man to stroke his fingers over her supple skin, and to touch his lips against hers. He watched those same soft pink lips curve gently into a smile as she reached her goal atop the slippery rock, then saw them fall and purse slightly in concentration as she made her way across to the waterfall. Chihiro sat, gracefully descending into a cross-legged position beneath the falls. She stayed there for a while, allowing the water to drum over her smooth shoulders soothingly as she plaited her wet hair and let it hang down along her spine, some straying wet strands still clinging to her skin. When she tilted her head back against the craggy grey rock wall, letting water cascade over the front of her body Haku made his decision and descended, as light footed as a wild mountain cat. Nervously Haku approached her, afraid she would startle and run, like prey to the beast he emulated. Her eyes slowly opened as he stood before her, the water from her body cascading over his feet before falling the short distance into the pool below. He was surprised as a brilliant smile lit her features and she reached up to pull his lips closer to hers…._

Haku's eyes flew open, realising that the embrace he had revelled in had been his river mischievously wrapping his waist in waterweeds. Grumpily he wriggled out of their clutches, aware his river had given him the dream as an echo of his deepest desires. He shook them off grumpily. The last time she had seen Chihiro she was ten. She was grown now of course, but his dream could not have been an exact replica of her, despite what other river spirits superstitiously prattled. Nonsense such as their rivers being gateway to present, future and past, apparently ever flowing and somehow all knowing. The wisest and oldest of those spirits claimed that because all water was linked, it had a memory of the past and future through that bond. Haku would be the first to admit his river had a mind of it's own, but that it could tell him the future through his dreams seemed ridiculous to the rational and practical part of him, instilled by his time with Yubaba. However knowing that the dream was a figment of his imagination did nothing to soothe his suddenly rushing and heated blood.


	3. Chapter 3

Ban revelled in the warmth of the human on his back. He had never been ridden in his dragon form before. He was prideful as were most of his kind and the very suggestion seemed ridiculous under normal circumstances. The woman held his fascination in a way no human had before, and would not have been capable of walking on her own to the bathhouse. She was not allergic to the spirit world as regular humans were. She stated she only suffered slightly of tiredness and small stomach cramps, however he sensed no spirit element in her blood.

_Such uncommon strength_ he mused wonderingly.

The woman had been in the Spirit realm long enough for the temporary gateway she had used to close up, and he did not have the power at the moment to send her back. He concluded that he must take her to the bathhouse with him, which would give him the opportunity to examine her further when he returned from his mountain and had more time.

Ban smiled to himself as he flew, seeing the lights of the bathhouse before him. He contemplated the humans that so regularly visited his mountain now, loudly crashing over his delicate ecosystems and paying no more mind to them than waves crashing over rocks. The number of times he had been burnt by corrosive camera batteries and poisoned by cigarette smoke he did not care to count. Ban knew from experience that the atmosphere of the spirit world attacked humans such as those without mercy. He has actually stood back on one such occasion and watched as a human reacted to the spirit realm, only deigning to throw the man back to the human world after minutes of insufferable agony passed and he was nearly inexistent.

Ban landed on the balcony outside Yubaba's offices and changed forms, quickly spinning to catch the woman before she fell in her sleep. He then magically opened the door with a flick of his head, his hands being occupied and lay her in on a couch in the back of the sickeningly opulent room. It was overboard even for his eccentric tastes. A mischievous smile spread over his face as he turned to three green heads rolling around oafishly on the floor.

"Tell Yubaba I'm waiting for her." He said politely before giving them a magical shove hard enough to send them through the paper doors and some distance down the corridor. The heads had always annoyed him and he took great satisfaction in hearing their yelps further down the hall. Ban was by no means above enjoying engaging in a bit of petty revenge every now and then. He walked to the shadows beside the couch on which the woman lay and seemed to melt into them as he waited for Yubaba, arms folded casually and orange eyes glowing.

When the woman woke it was to a disturbingly familiar scene. A bobble headed witch sat at an old oak desk, writing something in a ledger as she was addressed by Ban. The three green heads were piled haphazardly on top of one another beside the couch, staring at her and looking very much like a ridiculous totem pole. She stood from her place on the couch noting the sickening opulence of the place. Yet it still seemed familiar. The old lady looked up from her desk to re address Ban when suddenly her plate sized eyes refocused on the woman behind him.

"You!" The woman nodded, a headache beginning as she tried to remember why she knew this place, and why the witch so intensely disliked her. "I cannot believe you have the gall to return here after all you've done"

"I might not have if I could remember what it was." Chihiro replied, arms crossed oer her chest. Ban sensed the growing tension and broke in

"She entered the spirit realm through a temporary gateway" The witch's eyes lit up.

"Why didn't you say so dear? I remember she was quite the little hard worker. Of course I will allow you to work here. Would you like a cup of tea and a biscuit?" The woman stared at the tea arrangement that had appeared on the witch's desk, along with a new set of paperwork, bemused by the sudden change in the crone's demeanour. "I'll just need you to sign a little waver, so that you are legally a part of my staff." Ban stood to one side, apparently forgotten. The woman warily stepped toward the desk and reached for sheaf of papers. The old witch handed her a pen eagerly, then pointed to a dotted line with shaking hands and eager eyes "I'll just need you to sign here dear" A feeling of foreboding consumed her and she put the pen down.

"May I have my cup of tea now please? I have some reading to do" The witch's eyes widened slightly before she pressed the pen back into the woman's palm.

"That won't be necessary dear. There's nothing here that's too important, just workplace safety and I'm sure they can explain that to you later, now just sign won't you? There's a good girl." Ban spoke up, a small smile pulling at the corners of his lips.

"Let her read it Yubaba. She wants to know what she's signing." The woman had a feeling that she has passed a test. Ban summoned her a winged black leather chair and a similar one for himself. Without further ado the woman curled up in hers with a small grateful smile, legs tucked to one side as she began to flip through the pages of the document. Ban looked between her and the witch before sitting casually beside the woman in his chair. He picked up a cup of tea and sipped it with an unchanging expression, although it was obvious Yubaba had added too much sugar out of petty spite. Ten minutes later Chihiro carefully closed the contract and placed it back on the over polished surface of the desk.

"I cannot work here Ban. Besides, I can't sign a name I don't even know, so I cannot agree to the terms and something about this feels wrong." Yubaba eyed the girl distastefully before vanishing the contract. Ban caught the expression and quietly said

"You had better tell me what's going on here Yubaba." Grudgingly Yubaba began to speak, as though the smallest detail could come back to hurt her.

"This woman is Sen. She has worked for me before is all." As she finished speaking Yubaba sent Ban a hard glare, before turning to the woman who now knew herself as Sen. Ban contemplated Sen a moment before returning his hard gaze to Yubaba

"Is that all you have to say Yubaba? "

"Would I lie to you?"

"I'll not answer that. I want you to give Sen a job here without that contract of yours. I will draw up one of my own that is fair to both of you. Yubaba if you refuse you will loose the custom of all spirits I have influence over, as well as myself." Yubaba paled drastically as Ban summoned a pen and ink.

"Of course, Lord Ban."

"Oh. And one more thing Yubaba. You will not give her a position below that of bath attendant. I will not have you exorcising your revenge on her by making her muck out your pig pens while she is under my protection." Both Yubaba and Sen gasped upon hearing Bans proclamation.

…

Far down the train line at a stop called swamp bottom Zeniba's eyebrows lifted in surprise. Noface had returned to her shortly before Ban had reached Yubaba's offices and she had hurriedly put together a spying spell. What she saw confirmed it. Chihoro was back, and under the protection of a fire and earth dragon, no less a fire and earth dragon than Ban Asahi. She shuddered at the thought of Kohaku's reaction when he found out. Haku had taken Chihoro's departure from the spirit world more strongly than most, it was almost as though the two were linked and her leaving had taken some of him with her, even at that young age Chihoro had held Haku in thrall, and had had a remarkable ability for instilling loyalty in all those she befriended. Now she had lost her memory once more. Zeniba shook her head at the girl's misfortune and wondered how long it would be before Kohaku found out where she was.


	4. Chapter 4

Yubaba signed the document Ban wrote up then grouchily sent them both from the room. A cheeky grin was plastered over Ban's face. Sen smiled back at him and he felt a peculiar crunching feeling in his stomach. He allowed the smile to slip from his face as he scrutinised her, wondering why she had caused that reaction in him. Sen shifted uncomfortably then said

"Thankyou Mr Asahi. I seem to have a better chance of remembering my past here than anywhere."

"Call me Ban, please. I consider myself your friend, despite that stench of human. My decision for your future appears to have unforseen advantages." He laughed as Sen looked dismayed "Nevermind, the stench will wear off after three days. Go and see Kamaji in the boiler room, he may be able to give you something to mask it in the meantime. " Sen had a sudden mental image of some steep stairs and a sense of terror. She paled and Ban took her hand

"The prospect of a boiler room scares you that much? No wonder you humans smell so bad, I wouldn't want to bathe either without hot water." Ban took hold of her waist and transported them to the bath level, materialising before some very surprised bath attendants.

"This young lady needs a bath, she is my gest here for the moment." The Yunas hurried her away to a wooden bath in the woman's quarters, which were hidden behind thin paper walls to give those attending some semblance of privacy. As Sen undressed the attendant swung a water pipe out of the wall and a waterfall of warm water cascaded into the bath and filled the air with a sweet scent. Sen carefully folded her clothing and placed them on the bench beside one of the painted paper walls. She stepped into the bath and relaxed, allowing the fragrant water to soothe the muscles that had cramped from riding on ban's back. It took her a moment to realise that the scent was a mix of jasmine and mandarin. She smiled happily before noting that there was no possible way Kamaji, whoever he was, could have known of her love of those scents. Even Ban had only mentioned being able to smell the mandarin. Sen resolved to visit the boiler room as soon as she had the time. From that point she relaxed until she heard a rustle beside her. She opened her eyes to the sight of a Yuna holding her clothes at arms length, surveying them with her nose wrinkled in distaste.

"Excuse me, what are you going to do with those?" Sen asked curiously

"I am going to burn them. They reek of human. New clothes will be provided for you. Master Asahi offered to pay for them." The bath attendant stated matter of factly. Master Asahi? Sen's lips formed the words silently, comprehending for the first time exactly how powerful Ban was.

…

Sen negotiated the last few steps to the boiler room door, cursing the Yukata ban had given her. The cotton wrap was bright white, with embroidered blue flowers and a blue obi of the same colour. The obi was slightly thinner than usual and the neckline low enough to reveal the curve of her chest beneath it. The sleeves only reached just below her elbows but she had pushed them up further, and hiked the ankle length Yukata up to her knees indecently, rather than falling face first down the stairs. She was by no means afraid of heights, but there was something about those stairs that scared her silly, it was possibly the large gaps between them and the very, very long drop should she slip. She wasn't afraid of the height, but hitting the ground definitely lacked appeal. She paused on the landing outside the door to the boiler room,re adjusting her clothing and gathering her hair behind her head in a low pony tail. Even from outside she could hear the hissing of escaping steam and the rattle of various pipes. The hiss reminded her of the indrawn breaths of the bath attendants as Ban had strolled languidly from the baths, only to reach Sen and place a kiss on her forehead. Sen found she was just as surprised as the bath attendants at his actions. She had a feeling that he was motivated more by seeing her reaction and that of the bath attendants than the motion itself. He had then stroked a hair away from her face

_"Now Sen, I have to return to my mountain to conduct some business, I trust you'll be a good girl while I'm gone?" Ban said with a fatherly tone as he clapped his hand over her shoulder. Sen had smirked deviously.  
_

_"I'm always a good girl. Well, so far as I can remember. You'll have to find out when you get back." Ban had smiled delightedly; enthused to see she was comfortable enough with him to play along._

Sen's lips tilted up slightly at the corners, wondering at the bold and forever surprising actions of her newfound friend. She could see where his affinity with fire connected with his personality. A soft breeze brought her back on task and she took a deep breath, preparing herself to enter the boiler room as she twisted the slightly rusty knob of the green door.

Minutes later she was sitting bewildered on a rickety wooden chair, watching the lanky six-armed man before her. Although he seemed distinctly spider like Sen had no sense of danger, in fact the fog in the room seemed to envelop her comfortingly. She was surprised that the scent of the boiler room, originally smelling stronger than a dozen herb and soap shops combined, had already been picked up and ignored by her nostrils, like something so familiar that it did not warrant her nose's particular attention.

"So Chihiro, or Sen as you seem to like it nowadays. All you need to do is rub this lotion over your skin and the scent of human will disappear, but you'll need to reapply it. Granted you may smell slightly of jasmine for the next few days, but it's much better than human, and I know you like the scent." The long armed spirit handed her a small ceramic pot in which an orange paste sat, looking for all the world like mango jelly.

"Thankyou for your help sir. I will repay you when I receive my wages, low as they may be. You say my name is Chihiro? Yubaba told me it was Sen, but I cannot recall either." The spirit chuckled, the sound rustling slightly from beneath his moustache

"No payment will be needed miss Sen, this is my job and even if you cannot remember, we are friends. Your name will come back to you eventually, along with the rest of your memory when something strong enough triggers it." Sen felt the memories that were blocked by the gate stir once more, reminding her of another request.

"Thank you for your help Kamaji, I can see why I would befriend such a kind person as you. I have one more question if you do not mind. Ever since I have arrived here I get headaches when I see something that I think I may recall. I think that the closer I was to something in my past, the stronger the headache. But no matter how hard I try I cannot remember, and the headaches occur despite my efforts."

"I cannot help you with the headaches, no suppressant will ease them as your mind triggers them on it's own. The only way for you to overcome them is to remember your past." Kamaji's expression was both affectionate and sad

"Thankyou for your assistance." Sen bowed and went to leave, walking toward the outside door before pausing, a blush spreading over her face.

"Would you happen to know any other way of getting back up to the main part of the bath house sir?" Kamaji seemed to smile.

"If you wait a while Rin will be down with my lunch. She could take you up to the bathhouse and you two can have a chat. Maybe she can help you to remember." Sen nodded, despairing as the name sent a painful stab through her mind. Another person she was supposed to know. Soon however her fascination with the small fluffy seeming balls of soot overcame her worry and she lay on her stomach to watch them work while Kamaji scribbled something on a piece of paper, before folding it into an aeroplane and throwing it. The plane flew fast and straight as and arrow, before dipping and folding itself smaller to fit under the door. When Sen looked at him enquiringly he simply said:

"It's a letter to an old friend" and left it at that.

At that moment Rin entered the room looking down to ensure she didn't spill the soup she carried, scolding Kamaji for his relaxed attitude toward his dirty dishes.

"How many times do I have to tell you..." Rin paused, recognising Sen looking at her from her reclining position beside the sootball's roadway. "Sen's back!!" she yelled with excitement and ran over the floor to hug her, feet thumping on the hard wood and rattling the drawers that surrounded the boiler room, the soup bowl forgotten on Kamaji's bench. "You came back! I always knew you would. And look how you've grown! You're even taller than me!"

Rin fussed over Sen, who was happy for once that one of her old friends actually still called her Sen, rather than confusing her with the other, half recognised name. Rin hugged her tightly. After an hour spent with Rin desperately trying to convince her of her past in the spirit world the two were fast friends once more, however Sen's memory had still not returned. In frustration Rin directed a desperate look at Kamaji, who said quietly

"I've sent a letter to his river. He'll find it and be here to help soon enough." Sen, feeling once again that there was something she should know but didn't, decided not to pay undue attention to the exchange. She didn't even ask as Rin directed her back up to the main part of the bathhouse, too busy wrestling with a fierce headache that felt as though a giant were attempting to break in to her brain.


	5. Chapter 5

Ban sat languidly at his desk, scratching an image into it's polished surface with his wickedly pointed black nail. It took him a moment to realise that the image he was scratching was Sen's, her expressive eyes looking up at him questioningly from the whorls of the dark wood. He hurriedly smoothed his hand over the desk and the image vanished just as his door burst open with a crash, the sound followed by three agitated spirits.

"Master Asahi, of the spirits you sent to sabotage the river spirit Kansai. Only one returned. It was a trap." Ban grimaced, realising that two of his best fighters had been in the group. The war between water and fire spirits had continued for generations, and spread from spirits of the smallest springs magma reservoirs to the greatest volcanoes and oceans. Over the years more and more spirits had been either rendered useless or quit the battle, leaving the fighters of both sides down to mere hundreds, both sides co-ordinated by one leader, although most disputes had died down to a local level. Throughout the years since the formation of the earth these disputes had continued, swinging between lulls and peaks as it spirits forgot what they were fighting for and gained new causes. At the moment the bickering was half hearted, and Asahi didn't mind that at all, knowing his men both wanted to continue for their cause and yet needed a rest. Asahi only continued at the moment because his brother, standing in the group of men before him, was passionate, and had seen their father's failure to annihilate the water spirits as a weakness. The fact that water and fire spirits both worked toward the same end, the health of their own area, seemed to slip his notice.

"Send a few of our spares on a reconnaissance mission, Make sure that the men involved weren't captured. Other than that, it's their decision whether they wish to fight" Here Ban's brother injected. Although almost 500 years old, Tam looked very much like an unkempt human teenager in his black leather jacket and contemporary shirt, with ripped jeans and boot encased feet. The boys hair was shoulder length, scruffy and jet black, and his orange eyes currently echoed Ban's own when he was in a bad mood.

"You're just going to let them leave us? No wonder no one stays to fight if you yourself have no commitment to our cause." Ban shook his head, half amused by his brother's dedication and half worried about his passion.

"Tam, war is not the solution to our problem. Do you even have a reason that we should be fighting?" Tam shuffled his feet nervously, glaring from beneath his thick fringe.

"They thwart us at every turn, it is an insult to our honour as fire spirits. For every attack we make their defence is too powerful or too cunning. They laugh at us from their squalid little pools."

"Do you not think we are taunting them in turn, by our constant attacks? Do you ever think that peace may be more valuable than the spirit world continuing to fight itself rather than fulfilling it's purpose? The humans do us more harm than the water spirits ever have." Tam glared at Ban

"Fine brother, if you won't do anything, then I will. Weak leaders drag their people into tragedy." Tam stormed out, leaving Ban to is thoughts

…

Haku leant against a tree at the Kansai rivers echo in the spirit world. Kansai had been one of the many spirits to seldom adopt a physical form, and only visited the spirit world on seldom occasions. His report came in the form of the sounds of water babbling over stones, occasionally shifting to the sounds of a roaring waterfall then quieting down once more. At the end of the report, various pieces of armour appeared in the shallows. Kansai had said that various fire spirits had thrown them down in frustration as they stormed off. He seemed to think they would not return. Haku smiled gently, smoothing down his hair. Maybe the war would finally end, and he could retire in peace and save his powers to return to the human world and search for Chihiro, however long it took. Gradually, as he stood there, a tingling sense of wrongness filled his mind, his eyes widened as he felt one of his hands clench convulsively. Recognising the symptoms from the time when his river was forced underground he roared and ran, changing into his dragon form mid stride and racing through the spirit realm as though it were mist, making the transition between the human world and the spirit world in the same way a human car would change lanes, racing back toward his river.

…

Tam stood beside the Kohaku river, kicking pebbles into it's crystal depths  
_Well, that'll change soon enough_ he smirked, summoning catfish from a pond in the nearby park, noting that using his magic in the human world felt like pouring mud, and took twice the effort it usually did. His brother had explained to him long ago that weakening a spirit's feature in the human world weakened the spirit. He threw the barrel in the river, using magic to open the lid, before summoning a gargantuan pile of human waste and dumping it in the pool, clogging the flow of the river that had seemed to be burbling over happily at him.

Haku growled low in his throat as he saw the man standing beside his river, the metallic taste of magic permeating the air.

The man before him must have heard the growl, as suddenly a dragon stood before him, it was shaggy and black, with a red stripe of fur. As if that was not enough, the foxlike paws the on which the sinuous creature stood were completely different to the eagles talons adorning Hakus own feet. With a vicious snarl Haku rushed forward to meet the black dragon, recognising it's emberlike orange eyes. But why would Ban be stupid enough to leave himself magically unprotected near the river of his arch nemesis?

Haku shook off the thought as black dragon's paw swiped his face, scratching a deep and bloody trail. Haku snarled, lashing out with his tail. The whiplike action resulted in a deep gash along the other dragon's side. It leaped desperately for the safety of the sky and Haku saw his chance, the scent of his enemy's blood stirring a need deep within him for more.

As he arced upward Haku twisted his body around that of the smaller dragon, disabling it's flying abilities and stabbing his sharp talons into it's sides. From that point his mind went blank, overtaken by bloodlust.

When he awoke, warm blood was dripping into his mouth and water flowed along his body, which was covered by a limp form. Haku reflexively released the grip his teeth had on the individuals neck and pushed his aching body out of the river bottom, realising he had to shove aside various waste products to do so. He took a hold on the clothes of the other human form, and dragged both it and himself to the bank of the pool. He rolled it over, seeing he gaping red accusatory hole in it's neck. He felt a lurch in his stomach and reflexively vomited up a mix of raw meat, fish and this individual's metallic blood. He gently pushed the person's wet hair out of it's face, looking for some form of fierce acceptance on ban's features. What he found instead was completely different. The individual was not Ban, the features revealed that, although they were similar. So, on paying closer attention did the boy's scent. Horrified, Haku looked into the boy's eyes, seeking some form of redemption. Instead he saw fear. The widely open and staring eyes were accusatory. Haku roared in anguish, his nails digging into his palms.


	6. Chapter 6

Ban twisted his long body as he flew, performing somersaults in midair. He would skim along the harsh crags created by thousands of years of volcanic activity before flying as high as his long form could take. He used the speed for a freefall toward the unforgiving rock below, falling closer and closer to the craggy surface of the mountainous region, where rivers of lava flowed deep within steep crevices.

Ban pulled himself up at the last moment and snaked away, to find himself carelessly dipping the claws of his foxlike paws into rivers of molten magma. For no apparent reason he roared, letting the echoes be thrown and expanded by the gigantic walls surrounding him.

When he paused to examine the reason of this seemingly unfounded happiness he almost fell out of the air in shock. Sen had had more of an influence on him than he had first thought. With the typical heedlessness of his kind, he had fallen head over tail for her without even noticing. With dragon spirits no forethought occurred, love was an instantaneous connection that either happened or did not, despite their best interests.

The earth and fire in him cemented the deal, his father had shown him the way it was when he had married a woodland sprite. Spirits such as he found one love and bonded to them for life. He realised that the moment he had turned around in his human form to look at Sen properly his soul had recognised her as it's future mate. The need to move faded and he landed softly on a small overhang, the heat of the magma lighting his eyes and the strong updraughts created by the heat lifted his hair from his face as he changed back to his human form.

Ban dived into the magma gracefully, feeling it's strength and the intense heat welcome him as his thoughts strayed back to Sen.

…

Haku wandered listlessly into his cavern. He had cleaned his river, trapping the catfish in his claws and tearing them into bloody chunks before wallowing them, wincing at their muddy taste. He had crushed the human rubbish to smithereens before sending it deep into a human dump. Yet nothing helped vent his frustration. How could Ban send such a young boy, alone, into the depths of his enemies territory? Surely the dragon was intelligent enough to predict the result. Haku was so deeply involved inside his own mind he hardly noticed as a paper plane butted against his ankle insistently. He was on the verge of tearing it to pieces before he recognised the scrawling writing streaming along its wings.

It was from Kamaji. Upon reading the letter his eyes lit, and a smile spread across his lips despite himself. Chihiro was back! He stood beside the body he had shrouded in black cloth and transported it to where he knew the entrance to Ban's underground home to be before transforming back into his dragon form for the second time that day. He doubted he would make it in the next two days, having depleted his magic with such abandon in his anger and self-disgust.

…

Over the days since her first appearance at the bathhouse Sen had fallen into the routine quite easily, sleeping during the day and waking at night to tend to the needs of the customers. Yubaba had proven quite shrewd in giving her the job of diplomat, utilising her talent for making friends to its full.

Sen had immediately noticed however that she was the only one with her position, and the staff found more work for her every day. Soon Sen retired every night with sore legs from climbing the innumerable stairs and an even soarer throat, tonight was no different.

Sen stepped over the near comatose bodies of the women around her. Rin, her face relaxed in sleep was by far the most beautiful. Sen wondered why Rin never took up the offers for dinner the male staff never seemed to stop throwing at her. Well. Sen could understand that she didn't accept the more froggy workers. Hovever there were also some very good looking, slightly more humanoid seeming men wondering around the bathhouse. Shaking her head Sen dragged her sleeping mat outside.

Yubaba had offered her better sleeping quarters but Sen had refused, feeling more comfortable in the crowded sleeping rooms. A cool breeze blew from the grasslands surrounding the bath house, enough to whisper against Sen's cheeks but not overly cold. Absorbing the beauty of the gentle slopes around her, as well as the town fading on the other side of the river Sen felt like she had found her place in this world. Sen walked over to the table that still held a few dumplings and a pot of green tea. Pouring herself a a cup of tea and used a piece of paper to pick up the sticky rice. Sen sat on her mat, her flower patterned blanket placed over her knees and the cup of green tea by her side. She nibbled on the rice ball as she watched the sunrise break the distant navy of the night sky, the fiery ball spreading over her skin. Once she had finished her dinner Sen lay down, feeling the warmth of the sun melt over her face and arms.


	7. Chapter 7

Ban arrived back at his home, which consisted of a set of halls and rooms that had been set into his volcano after two days travel. The first sounds he heard were the tears of his serving women and the shouts of angry sounding men. He shed his dragon form without breaking stride as he hurried toward the hall. Filled with a sense of foreboding he entered, pushing the heavy oak doors open to see his men and servants gathered around something in the middle of the room. Ban pushed them to the side roughly, his eyes focused on the still figure that the parting crowd of people revealed. The pale body lying amidst a black pool of silk was Tam's. His brother's hair was still dripping wet, and the occasional strand lay across his face. Ban lifted a shaking hand and smoothed them from his brother's brow, deliberately ignoring the teeth marks in his brother's neck and the long scratches down what was revealed of the boy's legs. A small posy of white flowers had been placed in his brother's hand, and a letter had been placed beside them. With shaking fingers Ban picked up the letter, breaking the blue seal with his nail.  
'To Ban

I thought it was you, although I know this does not excuse my actions. I found him sabotaging my river and my rage got the best of me. My only emotion is guilt, and I assure you that your anger at me does not compare to my disgust with myself.

Yours in sorrow

Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi'  
The hand holding the letter clenched. In fury Ban set it alight, flames erupting from his palm, reducing the words to a memory in a split second. Red hot tears leaked from his blindly staring eyes.  
_I should have paid more attention to him. I should have known Tam was serious. He had the same look to him that I did when I was young. How could he go to Kohaku's river, of all those he could have chosen. How could Haku not know the difference between us? The thick dragon was so overtaken with rage anything would have done, it could have been anyone. Anyone close to me. _

Ban's mind screeched to a halt as an image of Sen, laying cold and still beside his brother came to mind. Kohaku, he remembered his father telling him, was ruthless. He would do whatever it took to break his enemies. Ban decided that as soon as the traditional month long mourning period for his brother was over he would go and find Sen and bring her back from the bathhouse, away from Kohaku's old haunting grounds. It could not be considered as a breach of her contract if she had no choice.

…

Sen bowed with the others as the newcomer entered the bath and stopped. He waited until they had straightened and looked over their eager faces. Now that Kohaku had returned rumours about him had spread like wildfire through the bathhouse. Most of the spirits claimed he was one of the most powerful spirits and every staff member knew of the fortune he now possessed. Sen noted that he was indeed physically appealing; he was tall and well muscled, as was revealed by the pure white Haori style shirt he had left open to the waist. He also wore flowing green Hakama pants tied around his hips. His hair fell in a waterfall of green tinted black silk to his shoulder blades. It was tied back loosely while his fringe and bangs still framed his face. Sen shuddered as she realised that Kohakus sinfully green eyes drew her in, in a way no other mans ever had. His expression was cold and unmoved even by the jostling between staff, he was obviously accustomed to it. Aristocratically high cheekbones and a smooth jaw line added to his aloof appearance as he scanned them impartially.

That was until he reached Sen. On first sight of her his eyes widened and he stepped forward, his expression abruptly turning to frustration when Yubaba swooped in front of him, placing herself between them. She distracted him with a rant about the substandard quality of the minerals he provided the baths with from his own river. Sen stood frozen, as though Kohaku had cast a holding spell on her, her stomach wrenching in peculiar ways and a headache quickly blooming as memory hit against the walls of her mind. It took a moment for Sen to realise that a foreman had appeared at her side at the same time, telling her she was needed to tend to a disgruntled fish spirit who had received a seafood dish containing his own species, rather than the krill platter he had originally ordered. Sen wandered away to deal with it, shaking off her shock and wresting her thoughts from the imposing newcomer.

Haku pushed Yubaba to the side to discover that Chihiro was gone, and recognised it immediately as one of Yubaba's ploys to distract him.  
"Why are you hiding her from me?" he growled angrily, sparks flying through his eyes. Yubaba gave him a small smile.  
"She's not your pet anymore Haku. She's all grown up and is perfectly capable of protecting herself." Yubaba grimaced, smoothing her dress "Or finding others to protect her. You well know that she has a talent for it, so just leave her be." Yubaba's grandmotherly tone was belied by her intent brown eyes.  
"That, as you well know, has got nothing to do with it. She's my friend and I wish to see her well."  
"She'll not remember you dragon. She doesn't even remember Rin. She came through a temporary gate." Kohaku's eyes narrowed and he transported Yubaba back to her office, holding her arm in a vicelike grip.  
"How did she come here then? None of the gates are close enough for her to have made it on her own without her memory." Yubaba grinned maliciously  
"Ban brought her. The two seemed quite close." Haku's eyes changed from sparking to iridescent.  
"If he's harmed a single hair on her head I'll rip him limb from limb with my own bare hands." He growled, clenching his fists. Kohaku glared at Yubaba a moment longer before changing into dragon form and half flying half running down to the entrance hall where he'd seen Chihiro. His long dragon nose soon picked up her scent. He stood a moment to solidify the scent in his memory then moved on, noting that the scent of mandarins and jasmine was fresh and more pleasing than the heavier rose or lavender most spirit women at the baths used. He thanked the spirit's gods for small miracles as her unique scent made her easier to track. He saw her talking to a fish spirit in the dining hall. He watched her for a moment, awed at her graceful movements. She appeared to be getting through to the fish spirit and he was soon calmed and ready to accept a free meal as an apology. Chihiro stayed and talked to the spirit as he ate, ensuring his meal was satisfactory and having a friendly argument about whether salt or fresh water was best. This also gave him time to observe her, finding that she held beyond a passing similarity to the Chihiro of his dream. In fact, they looked exactly alike. Haku also noted with a smile that Chihiro took the side of fresh water. In the end the fish spirit stood, groaning happily. Haku smiled in pride at how far she had come, although she had always been a good negotiator. He leant against the wall and watched her pack the plates the fish spirit had eaten from, noting that she self-consciously brushed her fringe to the side, obviously thinking about something important. He was struck immediately by the similarity of the motion to his dream. He was about to walk over to her when she looked up, seeing him leaning in the doorway. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously and she quickly turned and walked from the room. Haku could have easily followed her unseen, but the expression that had appeared over her face, which hung somewhere between confusion and that of a rabbit caught in the headlights of an oncoming truck warned him off. He retired to his room to decide on the best course of action.

Haku spent the next week echoing Chihiro around the bathhouse, silently following her on her duties, looking for any sign of her recalling who she was. It was obvious Yubaba had tried to give her jobs away from the parts of the castle she had originally worked in. Yubaba had seemingly given her the job of the bathhouse's diplomat, using her to verbally clean up the mistakes of the staff and ensure the guests were satisfied. He half chuckled as he watched her only just avoid walking straight into a mirror. She was as clumsy as ever, though she somehow managed to avert disaster now more often than not.

Haku stepped silently around the corner, checking behind to see if anyone was following him in turn.  
"What exactly do you think you're doing?" Chihiro, who seemed to have taken on the name of Sen once more, stood in the middle of the corridor about two steps away. Haku realised she must have known he was following her. "It's not like the other staff don't see you stalking me and gossip."  
"I have been trying to think of ways to help your memory return." he replied in a musical baritone, eyes fixed firmly on the floor.  
"And you had to stalk me to do that? I must admit, I'm confused by your methods." Haku remained silent, reminding himself sternly that he did not need to reply to her every enquiry. It worked for about ten seconds before he said quietly  
"I didn't want you to run if I approached you straight away. I wanted to get to know you better before I got you to know yourself." He paused "If that makes sense."  
Chihiro nodded slightly, still fuming.  
"It makes sense in a twisted way. How about we come to a compromise. You let me get my memory back myself and I won't need to either run or hit you every time I see you, because I won't be seeing you."  
"That isn't exactly a compromise Chihiro." He said, a small smile breaking out on his features. Chihiro's fists clenched, both at the name and the overly affectionate tone.  
"Look, sir. I do not know you, so don't speak to me like I do. Maybe whenever my memory comes back I'll drop you a line. But until then, my name is Sen, and I remain annoyed at you following me. So leave me alone."  
"What has dropping lines got to do with anything?" Haku asked, confused. Chihiro growled and walked away, irritated by the man's abrasive attitude and ignorance of her feelings. Haku slumped, deflated by her obvious disgust in him. Obviously not so much like the Chihiro in his dream after all. At that moment he resolved to get her memory back as soon as possible.


	8. Chapter 8

Sen wandered the halls blindly, tears streaming down her face. She was frustrated with spirits constantly appearing, claiming to know a past that she had no inkling of. And to complete her frustration, the spirit Haku had left her alone for a mere 24 hours and she found herself wondering where he was. She wondered momentarily if it was some sort of trap, but dismissed the idea knowing Rin and Kamaji would not willingly be involved. On finding a dark corner in the upper levels she curled herself into a ball against the cool wooden panelling. Tears leaked down her face silently and she bit her lip, knowing she should be working downstairs, rather than hiding in an unused corner of the huge building. She wracked her mind, trying to force through the barrier that separated her from her memories. As she pushed she filt pressure build inside her head until earsplitting sobs tore themselves from her lips as she felt pangs of pain so intense her mind seemed to be tearing itself apart. After bearing the pain for as long as she possibly could she collapsed, shivering and sobbing quietly on the ground.

…

Haku stepped out of his room, clad only in Hakama pants that he had tied around his hips. He had heard her crying outside his rooms and had debated whether or not to approach her, hoping she wouldn't assume he had been stalking her again. It had been a mere day since she had told him to stay away from her. Finally he resolved himself as her cries changed from pain to utter despair and he had sensed her body heat lower dramatically. He walked over and bent to gather her shivering form in his arms, lifting her as easily as if she were a doll. As he walked, unsure of what to do, he reassured her about the intents of his presence, murmuring that he only wanted to help her, and he would not mention her past again.

Sen felt herself being gathered against the warm solid chest of the man carrying her, the smooth rocking motion created by his steps lulling her into some sense of comfort. She breathed in and noticed that his scent was both that of the warm depths of the forest and the fresh scent of a flowing river. She felt herself being placed on clean sheets in a soft, low bed. The masculine baritone of the mans muttering enveloped her, sounding intelligible but for all the world like shallow water flowing over stones. She felt a cool hand come to her forehead while the sheets were pulled up around her. The voice got slightly louder and she managed to make out a few words as she drifted off to sleep  
"You've over exerted yourself Chi.. Sen. These things need to take time. Never mind little human. Rest." With that, Sens eyes slipped closed.

When Sen woke, it was to a completely different scent, and a completely different attitude. "I can't believe you, running off like that. No one knew where you were! We were all worried out of our minds. It's a good thing you came straight to Haku's room or you might be dead by now, abusing your mind like that. You know the barrier saps your strength every time you try to remember! So stop slamming against it, Haku told us. I can't believe you'd risk yourself like that! You mortals are so fragile." Sen blearily opened her eyes to Rins half comprehended chidings, smoothing her fingers over the smooth white cotton sheets around her. This soft bed was a far cry from her mat in the servants quarters.  
"Where am I?" she mumbled, seeing the walls surrounding her were painted with river scenes. Rin looked awkwardly away as she said  
"Master Kohaku found you and brought you in here, these rooms were closest."  
"Whose rooms are they?" Sen saw a crumpled white Haori on the floor and remembered the bare chest she had been snuggled so tightly against last night. For a moment a picture of chiselled muscles entered her mind but she pushed it away.  
"They're his rooms. Hakus." Rin looked nervously for her reaction. Curiously enough, Sen realised that she was in no way inclined toward an outburst, remembering the murmurings and care Haku had taken the night before. The door slowly opened and Rin turned, still with an expression that showed she expected that the little female on the bed before her would erupt like Vesuvius when he had found out his wife had cheated on him. Haku entered cautiously, waiting for Sen to snap at him. Instead he was greeted with a small, shaky smile and an apologetic expression  
"Thankyou for helping me last night master Kohaku."  
"Call me Haku, please." Rin's eyebrows raised and she excused herself, saying she had a few too many floors to sweep to be hanging around.

"I brought you something." Haku held out a square black box and Sen picked it up. "There was really no need for gifts, you saved me from a night on the floor." Haku smiled gently and lifted up the lid, revealing plain lemon yellow silk, woven so well that it was impossibly light and yet not see through.  
"You needed a new kimono. The one you were wearing got dirty while you were lying on the ground. I hope you weren't the one responsible for overseeing the dusting of these corridors, because whoever it was did a terrible job of it." Haku pulled the kimono out of the box, holding it up for her to see. The sleeves were wrist length but quite wide, the neck was fairly shallow ending an inch or two below her collarbone. The under wrap to go beneath was fine white cotton. A plain blue silk obi about a hand span wide was provided to wrap around her waist. The kimono ended mid thigh and the white under wrap fell loosely to the floor. This meant that the kimono let her legs breathe as well as being suitably formal for her position in the bathhouse. The looseness of the under wrap meant that it would be easy for her to climb stairs between levels when she needed to. Sen gasped as she realised the thought Haku had put into the gift. She wrapped her arms around him in gratitude, not realising that in the considerably more reserved spirit world, this was rarely done. Haku stiffened his spine in shock, reeling at how exquisite the unexpected bonus of his gift was.  
"Thank you so much." Sen chuckled. "With the rate I'm going by next month I'll need to buy a wardrobe." Haku's smile followed hers as he held up a pair of Geta sandals

"I bought you these as well. I thought a walk outside the bathhouse may help to refresh your memory. Even if it doesn't, there are some beautiful places that I think you'd enjoy seeing."

Chihiro's smile lit her face, accepting his attempt to call a truce. She was completely unaware of the way her smile blew through his body like a fresh breeze on a hot summer day.


	9. Chapter 9

Haku stood nervously at the boiler room door, waiting for Chihiro to appear. They had arranged to meet here rather than the front door to avoid the trickle of spirits that still arrived this early in the morning. The moon sat low on the horizon, many times larger than it seemed in the human world. Then again the tides here were also more extreme. He tapped his foot impatiently, wondering why she was taking so long. Suddenly he heard a series of thumps from the stairs to his left. He walked over to where they ended and looked up. His expression was both surprised and amused, having caught sight of Chihiro sitting on a step half way up, her back pressed to the wall and sweat breaking out over her brow.  
He walked up to her, holding out his hand patiently, looking straight into her eyes.  
"Surely such a small set of stairs doesn't scare you? You were never afraid of heights before."  
"It's not the height I'm afraid of. It's hitting the ground."  
"This isn't the confident Sen I've been seeing over the last few days. What happened?"  
"Hey, I'm allowed to have a weakness. I can't be perfect all the time." Sen took his hand, standing slowly and continuing to look into his eyes.  
"Well it's a good thing I'm here then. Here, I'll help you down, but I want you to stand in the middle of the stairs first." Sen stepped a few steps forward, following him and not looking down. That was until she noticed his grin growing cheekily and his eyes slowly dipped to her feet. Sen looked down, her eyes following his. She said nothing, but shock made her eyes fly open. They were standing on nothing. Having waited until she noticed, Haku smiled.  
"Stay there for a moment while I shift forms."  
"Stay here, how on earth can I stay here without your help? I'm only human remember." Haku waved his hand dismissively.

"You're an imaginative human. Imagine the air condensing into a solid beneath your feet. You can do it. There's so much magic in the atmosphere here it might as well be put to some use." He stepped away and Sen fell slightly before desperately imagining a plate of solid air beneath her. Suddenly she felt her feet make contact with something solid and looked down. There was still nothing beneath her. A small smile grew over her face as she imagined it moving and the platform beneath her shifted. Then she caught sight of the shifting grassland below her, loosing her concentration. Just as she started falling Haku caught her, sliding his long body between her legs. Chihiro's eyes widened in surprise for a moment then she clung tightly to his horns, her dress providing a good amount of grip around his neck, without her having to tense her thighs.

Kohaku swooped and dived through the grass Chihiro had been distracted by minutes ago. The brilliant green blades of it tickled the soles of her feet and she laughed. Haku turned his head back for a moment to look at her, her cheeks were already flushed from her descent of the stairs and her long hair flew behind her in waves of brown silk.

Sen looked down and met Kohaku's eye with a big grin on her face, then looked up again, only to see that they were approximately 30 metres from a tree and closing in on it impossible fast. Seeing her face, Kohaku's head whipped around and he too saw the tree. With inches to spare he veered around it. Chihiro let out the breath she was holding and laughed.  
"Keep your eyes on the road, dragon. You might live through a close encounter with a tree, but I'm only a fragile mortal." A rumble, which could have meant anything, emitted from beneath her.


End file.
